After having a crossbreed dog that i loved very much but he went for my daughter and friend,so sadly i had to let him go.We were all heartbroken when he went so now we are worried about getting another dog.My parents had a lovely blue roan cocker spaniel and he was soft with everyone. Would this breed be suitable for me and my 2 well behaved children. Someone else said to get a labrador.Also would there be less chance of aggression with a male or female dog.I would appreciate any help as our home feels empty without any dog.

If you source your puppy through the Cocker Spaniel you should have a very good chance of getting a correctly temperamented Cocker who will indeed be very good with children.  In fact they are often so good and tolerant with children many breeders, including myself, will not sell to families with children under 7 because they will allow themselves to be rather "overloved" :) Unfortunately they are a popular breed with commercial breeders who will not be so concerned to be breeding dogs with the correct temperment but going through the club should help you avoid those.  Cockers tend not to vary as much in temperament between dogs and bitches as some breeds so I don't think that needs to influence your choice too much.

I prefer female dogs as i had a male yorkie and he became dominant over me and kept trying to bite.I dont think a JR would be a good dog fr you as they can be quite snappy. Cockers are lovely dogs, never know abad one. Dontknow about labs :-) hope you find a new friend soon

Most dogs will tolerate families and children IF THEY ARE RESPECTED and taught to appreciate humans form of giving attention and affection, which aren't always the same as a dogs.

i have always made sure that my older children treat our animals with respect(i have 2 cats aswell). we are all kind to humans and animals alike.he was very protective of me and the only thing i did wrong was mother him to much,which made him jealous of any loving contact i had with my children.the vet suggested it was something inbuilt as his sister was the same.it is wrong to assume that fault lies with my children tormenting him. it was a true unprovoked attack.i love all my animals and i would never let any harm come to them.we all cried buckets of tears over jasper even though we only had him 6 months.he was a part of our family but i knew i didnt want to be responsible for him attacking someones face.it was a trully hard decision to make. that is why i wanted to do my utmost to research another dog as i wouldnt want to have to make that decision again.i know there are no guarantees but i wanted all the information i can get before making my decision. thanks lou-lou

Hi lou-lou, can I just ask what happened to Jasper? 

You can get good tempered and bad tempered dogs in any breed -the essential part is to find a good breeder, meet the mother of the pups and maybe other relatives (not usually the father though as he's usually owned by somebody else). Have to tell you I did have a Blue Roan cocker which is the only dog I've ever owned that I had to put to sleep due to aggression...  But she wasn't from a reputable breeder!

One breed where you can be virtually guaranteed to always get a really friendly dog is Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. But you have to be careful to get a puppy from health tested parents -goes for all breeds but even more so in Cavaliers. Wellbred Labradors, and also Golden Retrievers, are usually an absolute delight temperament wise and often very good with kids as long as the kids are good with them. :)

As you say, you did not get your Cocker from reputable source.  I've met the odd nasty Cavalier, probably not from a reputable source ;) so no virtual guarantees there either............perhaps a guinea pig is the answer :)

Oh no, a friend of mine had a guinea pig when she was young, and she still has the scars to prove it... how about a gold fish?? :D

Noooooooo........nasty suckers! :p

ROFL :D :D :D

Just thinking, as dogs are living beings there are no guarantees with anything that is alive and kicking and has a personality.  I have a cranky yorkie but thats just his personality I also have the soppiest crossbreed and thats her personality.

Very, very true, but when pedigree breeding is done well you can predict, to a pretty good degree, the temperament from the breed traits.

Hello all,

I have both Labradors and a Cocker, and I think the info already on here is spot on. All of my dogs come from health tested/checked parents and it really is so important, especially with over 45,000 Labs born last year.  There are many bad breeders out to make a quick pound and as you have children, you can't take any chances.

I have 2 kids, boys of 6 and 10 yrs old, both brought up with dogs, cats and small furries and they love both breeds, both Labs and Cockers are good at tending to cut knees and keeping secrets from mum!

Anyway here goes!

Labs can be big, especially the dogs. I have one of each and even though mine are from field stock, the dog is still pretty hefty and quite clumsy (bless!).  Show bred Labs tend to be a bit chunkier and can be very placid, whereas field/working type Labs are normally smaller, or at least lankier looking, and can be a bit loony as youngsters!  Both types can be brilliant with children who respect them, but they need to have something to do, or they will find themselves something to occupy their paws!! They can also chew for England.

Cockers are also on the whole good with kids. The show bred ones have more hair, quite a lot of it!, whereas the working type ones are easier to groom (I give mine a quick brush a couple of times a week and make sure her ears/paws don't get too muddy!). Mine comes from a breeder who eye tested, but many working breeders don't.  They can be a funny old mix of stubborn/wilfull and very sensitive/soft.

On the whole either of the breeds tick all the boxes, it just depends on what size of dog you're looking for!

Good luck in your search

Ali :)

>They can be a funny old mix of stubborn/wilfull and very sensitive/soft.

Gosh, thats an excellent summary. :)
I think its worth mentioning too that, although the show type is capable of and will greatly enjoy lengthy amounts of exercise involving much "cockering" about in hedges and briers they are going to be a lot more accepting of lesser amounts than the working type and are more likely to settle down to an evenings telly so pick the type that best suits the activity levels of your family.

>They can be a funny old mix of stubborn/wilfull and very sensitive/soft.

I had a delightful blue roan cocker called Bob who died last year and I think this sums up his personality perfectly. As soft and silly as you could possibly imagine and the very epitome of a "merry cocker" but with a quietly determined stubborn streak. When he was stubborn he was very stubborn too! He came from extremely good stock and I can only emphasise the need to go to a reputable breeder if you are planning to get a cocker.

However, breed alone guarantees nothing since for every so-called "snappy" breed (I have a JRT and will defend them from this sort of wild assertion!!!) there's a so-called "soft" breed that may end up producing no such thing.

Ultimately, you have to make your choice based on your lifestyle because there are some breeds who suit country life better than life in town and some breeds who will better settle to being left at home while you work and of course you have to take into account the personalities of the human members of your family too.

hi, sorry for asking so many questions but i wondered what you mean by stubborn and wilfull.i dont expect a perfect dog.but i just want to try and get one that is not known for his aggression.

They can be very persistant in doing stuff like refusing to clear off when you are cooking or cheerfully jumping down off the sofa when you tell them only to hop straight back up as soon as you leave the room.  They are best treated pretty much with total consistancy as any let up in the rules is exploited to the full but it's an issue that has nothing to do with aggression.

i see what you mean now.all in all i think a blue roan would be ideal for us.i will just make sure i get him from a good breeder.thankyou for all your helpful advice. lou-lou

Isabel has summed it up better than me, I suspect,  but basically, cockers are past masters at going selectively deaf. I realise that you don't want a dog with aggression problems but don't assume that cockers are necessarily a "soft" option so do expect to invest time in consistent (and persistent) training from the outset. Otherwise you'll easily end up with a cocker spaniel who isn't the delight to have around that they can be.

I know nothing about Mini Schnauzers except the one that my niece has.  Everyone loves her as she is so affectionate.  she has just had a litter and one lady who came to view the pups couldn't believe it that the dam climbed on her lap and lay there very relaxed.  Needless to say the lady is taking a pup. My niece has children, 1 aged 4 yrs and a baby of 6 mths and the dog is lovely with both.

edited to say: Crikey - don't want to look like I'm advertising.  All the pups are definitely sold.

I've had cockers all my life, never had a problem with any of them, they are extremely loving to people, children and dogs. (again all top of the notch breeding lines)  I also had a GSD who was the soppiest dog out of the lot. And I have a wonderful Goldie, who although very bouncy as a youngster, is absolutely brilliant now. Again to stress as everyone else on this forum, please go to a reputable breeder, it truly does make all the difference in temprement.

I've had English Cockers all my life as well, all blue roans.  They have all been brilliant right from the start, they just love everyone and everything even the cat sometimes. :-).  I have found that the bitches are more indapendant maybe more that the dogs, the dogs want to be with you all the time and would like you to keep them entertained where the little girls are quite happy to take themselves off for a play.  Have a look on this link for some more info. http://www.cocker-spaniels.co.uk/forum/portal.php